blastophore

Pronunciation: blas′tō-fōr

Definition: An early stage of division of a coccidial schizont in which spheroid or ellipsoid structures are formed with a single peripheral layer of nuclei; merozoites form at the surface of the blastophore over each nucleus, grow out radially, and separate from the residual body (remnant of the blastophore); in a first-generation schizont such as Eimeria bovis, about 120,000 merozoites are produced.